Chapter 11

Making State Laws

Vocabulary

• assembly – a branch/part of some state legislatures

Maryland General Assembly

Vocabulary

• district – a part of a state that elects on state representative or state senator

Vocabulary

• initiative – the process that people in a state use to introduce and vote on proposed laws (bills)

Vocabulary

• petition – a written paper signed by many people that asks the government to take some action, or do something

Vocabulary

• referendum – the process that people use to force their state legislature to let the people vote on bills and let the people approve or not approve a bill

Vocabulary

• recall – a way for the people to remove a state government official from office

State Legislatures

• Have two houses:– The upper house– The lower house

State Legislatures

• Sessions last only a couple of months

State Legislatures

• Have committees:– Study bills– Pass along or kill bills

Presiding Officers

• Leaders for each house:– Lower House presiding officer: The Speaker– Upper House presiding officer: The President• Sub-presiding officer pro tempore

Presiding Officer Duties

• Appoints (picks) committees and committee chairpersons

• Runs the sessions• Decides who gets to speak on proposed bills

The Lower House

• Called:– The House of Representatives– The Assembly– The People’s House

The Lower House

• Members elected from districts– Districts have equal number of people

• Term = 2 years

The Upper House

• Called:– The Senate

The Upper House

• Term = 4 years

Powers People Have

• Initiative• Referendum• Recall

Initiative

• Write a• Get people to• Vote

Referendum

• When voters __________________ on a bill the legislature is _________________

• In the next election voters can ________________________________________________________

Recall

• People _________________________ an elected state official from ______________________

• People must sign a ______________________ then a new ________________ happens